Nine months…NINE…MONTHS. Ten take away one equals NINE. That is how long your mother carried you around in her belly. Whether she had morning sickness or not, back pain or not, the longest labor ever or not…she deserves much more than a Hallmark card (no offense Hallmark). Now, when I say MUCH MORE, that doesn’t mean you should max your credit card out on expensive jewelry, spa certificates and the finest chocolate you can find. Less is more. Since I am a mother myself, I am certified on Mother’s Day gift giving. That’s right.

Now, I know just where your mind is, “I need ideas.” Some are low budget but from the heart (which I recommend), and some have a higher price tag (but there’s no price limit when it comes to your mom so…):

Breakfast in Bed: Don't wake mom too early, but YOU can wake up early and whip up a batch up fluffy pancakes (heart-shaped would be nice), fresh eggs and a side of fruit to get your mom’s day started right! Put your homemade breakfast (made of your mom’s favorite things) on a tray, along with a folded napkin, glass of OJ (or Mimosa), some fresh flowers, and a card. She’ll love it!

Hand Painted Flower Pot: Head to Michaels…a mom can never have enough flower pots and spring flowers for that matter! Michaels has plain terracotta pots and paint in one section. Go home and either paint something yourself, or if you have little ones, let them go at it! They can even make a hand print on the flower pot. Grab a pretty spring flower and some potting soil and you’re done! Your mom will have a beautiful, fresh spring flower to look at every day and think of you!

If you have some money, the way to spend it wisely is Fitbit®. The Fitbit is a great new fitness tracker that healthy moms are using to get or stay fit. Now, I did say you need to have some money to spend. They run about $100. Check them out, Best Buy carries them.

If you’re really on the ball- photos! You have a couple options here. You can go online to Shutterfly.com and spend the money to overnight a small but sweet photo album with your favorite pictures for mom, or you can swing by Target, Walgreens, or any store with a photo stand, with your phone (or CD, flash drive, etc.) and print out some pictures that mom will enjoy looking at displayed in her house. Grab a fun frame or photo album and you're done! Put a nice heartfelt card in the bag with it and mom will love it!

Moral of the story/blog/game is…give your mom something from the heart. You mean the whole world to your mom and all she wants is for you to show her how much she means to you. (Remember, I’m certified.)